mpbltsz we're out of time. see you back here tomorrow morning. "cnn newsroom" with don lemon begins right now. stories we're watching in the newsroom, an oregon shopping mall bustling with the holiday crowd, shots rang out, random victims fall and hundreds of panic stricken shoppers run for cover. >> people started hiding behind counters and eventually everybody went to the middle of sears and on top of the escalators away from all the entrances and everybody could get together and sit there and

we were watching the news as it was happening on the tv inside the entertainment center. international community on edge after a provocative rocket launch by north korea, claims to have put a satellite in orbit. we'll tell you how the u.s. might respond to it. up in flames a west virginia natural gas line explodes, the blast shutting down a major route through that state. it could be one of the holiest twitter accounts yet, the pope sending his first tweet. wait until you see who is following. good morning, i'm don lemon, carol is off today. holiday horror, panicked shoppers rush to police after a gunman opens fire. here is the latest for you from the deadly mall shooting just south of portland, oregon. this morning, three people are confirmed dead, and a fourth victim is described as fighting for her life.

police say the masked gunman killed himself as they closed in, making the motive for the killing spree all the more unclear right now. witnesses say he popped off at least 20 rounds seemingly choosing his victims at random. the shopping mall santa was among hundreds of people who heard the echo of rifle blasts. >> i was in the set there, there weren't too many kids at the time, i heard two shots and after that i heard about 15, 16 more shots and decided that that was gunshots so i hit the floor. my crew that was working with me must have left, and i got up, there was nobody on the set by myself. >> not something you usually hear santas talking about. let's get live to the scene, cnn's dan simon outside the town in clackamas town center. dan, what is the latest? >> reporter: the sheriff of clackamas county craig roberts

is saying this was a random shooting, the victims were not targeted. he also says that at one point the shooter's gun jammed, which means that that may account for why there were not more victims. what we know is that this all began about 3:30 yesterday afternoon, when the shooter walked into macy's on the second floor. the scene at the clackamas town center mall near portland, oregon. holiday shoppers ran for cover as a masked gunman opened fire in the food court outside macy's. >> the shots were loud and scary. >> reporter: sergeant adam phillips with the clackamas county sheriff's office says the gunman killed two people and wounded another before taking his own life. >> we have tentatively identified the shooter at this time. we will not release his name or any other information other than he's an adult male, until we have 100% confirmed that identity. >> reporter: the mall's santa was visiting with children when the shots rang out. >> i heard two shots, and then after that, i heard about 15, 16

more shots, and decided that that was gunshots, so i hit the floor. >> reporter: tyler peterson was at the mall applying for a job when panicked customers came running into the sears department store. >> people started hiding behind counters and eventually everybody went to the middle of sears and on top of the escalators, away from all the entrances and everybody could get together and sit there. >> reporter: outside the mall, police talked with witnesses to piece together what happened. >> you get ten different people who saw the same incident and they're going to give you ten different versions of it. >> reporter: the gunman is described as being in his early 20s. police not releasing his me at this point, also not saying what the motive might have been, also saying the two victims that were shot and killed, both are adults, one male, and one female. don we should tell you the mall will remain closed today, no the ideal in the middle of this holiday shopping season but of course, that has to be done. back to you. >> absolutely. dan simon, thank you very much.

to north korea now, north korea today entered the space age apparently putting a satellite into orbit. [ speaking in foreign language ] people in the capital seemed to welcome the news. the achievement carries symbolism for starters it comes days before the first anniversary of kim jong-il's death, a former nasa engineer says the rocket was based on soviet technology, it took off from north korea's west coast, and traveled south near the japanese island of okinawa. debris fell into the sea as far away as the philippines. many in the u.s. and elsewhere were taken by surprise. the last time north korea tried to launch was april which ended in an embarrassing failure. to chris lawrence our pentagon correspondent, chris, the u.s. officials do they have any doubts that this is for real? >> reporter: don f they did, those doubts are quickly disappearing. i just got off the phone with a u.s. official who confirmed to

me that the on object north korea put into space is still? or bit and the officials are going through final calculations to confirm whether it was indeed a satellite, as north korea claimed. regardless of that, it is confirmed that north korea did successfully go through three stages of this rocket, which is a jump in technology for them. this is the type of rocket that has the range to hit areas in alaska or u.s. bases in hawaii. so there is, you know, some concern over this success by north korea, don. >> so chris, how worried are pentagon officials again about the successful launch? you said there is some success with this but how worried are they about it? >> there are still some ways to go, don. they're worried down the road about north korea marrying its nuclear weapons with this missile technology.

in other words, being able to miniaturize a nuclear weapon to put on a warhead, to also be able to aim that missile accurately and to have the type of heat shield that would allow it to come back into the atmosphere without burning up. there's no indication north korea, you know, has made that jump yet. that is a concern down the road, and there's also a concern about what help they may be getting. u.s. official is telling us that one working assumption is that iran helped north korea with this launch. we know in the past u.s. officials have detected north korean engineer going to iran, iranian scientists coming to north korea, iranian scientists have been there for previous north korean launches, so there is a real concern about the proliferation of this technology and it not being contained just to north korea alone. >> pentagon correspondent chris lawrence, thanks, as always. meanwhile the u.s. deals another blow to the crumbling

regime in syria. days after warning of the government's use of chemical weapons on its own people president obama formally recognized the rebel group as a legitimate representative of searia, the move further bolsters the u.s. support for a new government. >> we've made a decision that the syrian opposition coalition is now inclusive enough is reflective and representative enough of the syrian population that we consider them the legitimate representative of the syrian people in opposition to the assad regime, and so we will provide them recognition and obviously with that recognition comes responsibilities on the part of that coalition. >> the white house says the show of support for the coalition falls short of what many rebels want. spokesman jay carney says the u.s. will not provide weapons for the fighters.

very busy night for the president. he also spent time on the phone talking with house speaker john boehner trying to negotiate a deal to keep the u.s. from going over the so-called fiscal cliff. house republicans meeting right now and we expect to hear from the house speaker at the top of the hour. dana bash, capitol hill, following the negotiations. how many times have i said fiscal cliff over the past couple months, i can't even, if i had a nickel for every time i'd be a wealthy man. >> we'd be able to avert the fiscal cliff. >> exactly, very good, so much more clever and quicker than i am. dana good morning. the president and the house speaker offered new proposals. what do you know about them, if anything? >> reporter: you know, they're being very, very careful, they're holding their cards close to the vest, which i think you know as a reporter is frustrating but as somebody who certainly wants to get, to see this solved, that that is a completely nonpart son thing to say. it maybe is a good sign, because both sides are being very careful not to let the cat out

of the bag on some of the specifics because they don't want the process to blow up even before it really starts in earnest. what we are told from democratic and republican sources is that it is still really just sort of the big picture that they're going back and forth on, big picture meaning how much are they going to try to raise when it comes to revenue. we understand that the white house earlier this week reduced their number by about $2 billion. the president wanted to raise revenue by $1.6 billion and said $1.4 billion, which is a step in the right direction but nowhere near what the speaker wants to do, which is $800 billion. so that's someplace where the democrats might have to give towards republicans. the other side of the ledger, so to speak, don, is spending, and that's probably where we're going to hear the speaker talk about the need for the white house to be more explicit and what they're willing to give specifically on those entitlement cuts, because that's another area that democrats are going to have to give on to get

to where both sides really want to be when it comes to overall deficit reduction money. >> okay, dana, less than a hour it's scheduled. house speaker is supposed to speak out this morning, say something. any word on what speaker boehner might say later this morning? >> reporter: well as you said he's meeting with his house republican conference, all the rank and file republicans, as we speak in the room literally right next door to where i am right now. we're going to see our reporting we're going to see what the mood of the republican caucus is, where they stand, because as you know, a big part of the dynamic here that we've been talking about for weeks is the fact that boehner really is a bit ham strung because many in his caucus, most in his caucus really do not want him to give on that big divide over raising tax rates for the wealthiest americans, so we're going to see if there's any give on that in his caucus and of course, what he's going to do here is probably a lot of public posturing, which we heard yesterday and the day before

that and the day before that, but got to read between the lines on the public posturing so we'll tell you what happens. >> public postures in washington? never. >> reporter: i know, who knew? >> dana, thank you. appreciate it. other news now a huge natural gas line explosion is making for some difficult travel in west virginia. 20 inch transmission line erupted tuesday sending flames high into the air. it damaged and shut down part of interstate 77. drivers have been using a 45-mile detour, at least one home was destroyed, several others were damaged. it has been a tough few days for the dallas cowboys, honoring a teammate killed in a car crash over the weekend and an eyewitness is revealing her side of the accident. anncr: some politicians seem to think medicare and...

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stop pretending. only flood insurance covers floods. ♪ visit floodsmart.gov/pretend to learn your risk. we go back to oregon in the horrible mall shooting. witnesses say a man ran through macy's wearing a hockey mask and carrying a rifle before killing two people and himself. this happened in a suburban mall near portland, oregon. crowds of panicked holiday shoppers ducked for cover, many fearing for their lives.

>> i honestly didn't know where the gunman was coming from, where he was, what he looked like. i was waiting for him to come into view and see me, in clear view and shoot me. >> so it was so early on in the investigation. we don't know the names of the victims or the gunman yet. there were scores of people in that oregon mall last night, cnn spoke with one of them earlier this morning, here's what she saw. >> downstairs more towards the end of the mall, and the shooting happened upstairs in the center of the mall, but i was getting my hair done and the girl was blow drying my hair, and we heard a very loud noise, it sounded like the ceiling was falling through or metal clashing as if something was falling and the gunfire was going off long enough that we had time to stop and say, what is this noise, and we realized, oh my gosh, that's a gun, that sounds like a machine gun, and the receptionist at the hair

salon looked out into the mall and saw people scattering and running everywhere, and we realized at that point we needed to get out of there because we weren't sure where the gunfire was coming from, if it was near to us and so we ran out the back of the hair salon outside and we were hiding behind a dumpster for a few minutes until we decided we were still way too close to an exit for comfort, and we weren't sure if the shooter would be coming out of that door at any moment, so we decided to go in the parking lot and we were hiding behind some cars for a while, until my dad just showed up across the street and i ran there and i was picked up by him, and at that point, we still weren't sure what was going on, where the shooter was, but there was a constant stream of sirens. >> i should tell you coming up in a few minutes on cnn we're going to talk to the clackamas county sheriff's department and see if they have any idea on the identity of the shooter and also any more information about the

victims. other stories now that we're following for you this morning, there is good news for nelson mandela who is responding to treatment for a lung infection, according to a statement from south african president jacob zuma. mandela was rushed to the hospital over the weekend. he is 94 years old and many people are worried about his health, of course. the man who taught beatle george harrison how to play his guitar died. ravi shankar was 92 and passed away near his san diego home. shankar won three gamys for his legendary guitar performances. ♪ we should tell you also that shankar was the estranged father of jazz singer norah jones. today marks another milestone at the world trade center's tallest building, this morning the first piece of a spire is being hoisted to the

top of one world trade center. the 104-story building is near the memorial for those killed in the original trade center towers on september 11th. a texas woman who says she was one of the first people on the scene of a deadly accident involving two members of a dallas cowboys, now telling her side of the story. on saturday, police say john brent was driving his mercedes when it crashed. in the car was his teammate, jerry brown jr. when the engine caught fire, stacy mcwilliams tells cnn affiliate wfaa she heard cries for help. >> and i looked at him, i said is there somebody in the car? is there somebody in the car? and he was like yes. so i said get him out of the car, mike. you can't just stand here and watch this man die, pull him out of the car, and he said to me he won't get out. i said get him out of the car, you know, commanding him, get him out of the car. >> well brown died following the crash. brent now faces charges in connection with the accident.

cnn has not independently spoken with stacy mcwilliams but brent's lawyer has given us a statement and part of it the statement says "it is believed mr. brown was already deceased and could not possibly have uttered the calls for help claimed by ms. mcwilliams. it has not been verified but it appears she called the media before calling the police." the screen actor's guild kicking off the award season with this year's nominations and nichelle turner is there. >> reporter: good morning, i'm good don lemon. this is the show where actors honor actors and lots of love for a lot of your favorites this year but there are some big omissions as well. i'll tell you what they are when we come back. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. governor of getting it done. you know how to dance... with a deadline. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle...

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a winter chill in the air means only one thing in hollywood. that means it's awards season and the screen actors aguild announcing nominees for the bestest of the best in the big screen on the film and telly. it is early out there this

morning but tell us who the big winners are. >> reporter: is that the nice way of saying i can see the bags under your eyes nichele? >> i didn't want to say anything. i'm not a morning person either. >> reporter: it's okay, we're here to serve the viewers, the announcements for the screen actors guild show. actors love this awards show when actors honor actors and a lot of your favorites were honored this year. i want to get right to it, because a lot of big names, big a-listers in hollywood on the list. let's talk about the nominees for the outstanding actor, male actor in a leading role of a movie and first of all we have to talk about daniel day-lewis because he is a two-time oscar winner and this year he is again nominated for his role in "lincoln" and plays abraham lincoln. people say his performance was one of the most honest and

authentic performances of abraham rinne conthey've ever seen. also nominated this year, bradley cooper for "silver linings playbook." he is a rookie to this event. he's getting a lot of love from the awards folks this year for his role in "viller linings playbook." also nominated john hawkes, hugh jackman and denzel washington from "flight." jennifer lawrence was also nominated for outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role for her role in "silver liningsplay book." jessica chastain in "zero dark thirty" marion cotilard, helen mirren for "hitchcock" and naomi watts for "the impossible." lots of movies had a historic theme to them in the mix this year, "argo" nominated q the

best exotic mare gold hotel," "less miserables" and "silver linings playbook" and "lincoln." a lot of love and buzz going into awards season. there were omissions, big names we thought may get a nomination that did not. >> that's what i wanted to ask you. >> reporter: no ben affleck for "argo" no joaquin phoenix for "the master" no kyra knightley and no john goodman. he gave a lot of wonderful performances in "flight" also in "argo" this year, so people left off the list, no emmanuel lariva, and we have the nominations so let at ward season begin. >> i always feel guilty during awards season. another list of movies that i need to get to see, i feel guilty about not seeing them nischelle. you can't get to see them all.

>> reporter: there are a lot of good ones. it was a good year for movies. you the to get going, there's a lot for to you say. >> thank you, nischelle turner. you don't have bags under your eyes, looking good, girl. historic day that michigan as michigan lawmakers snubbed organized laborer by passing right to work legislation. we'll hear from the governor about why he says unions have no one to blame but themselves. [ woman ] dear cat, your hair mixes with pollen and dust. i get congested. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed.

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but you're progressive, and they're them. yes. but they're here. yes. are you...? there? yes. no. are you them? i'm me. but those rates are for... them. so them are here. yes! you want to run through it again? no, i'm good. you got it? yes. rates for us and them -- now that's progressive. call or click today. he loves risk. but whether he's climbing everest,

scuba diving the great barrier reef with sharks, or jumping into the market, he goes with people he trusts, which is why he trades with a company that doesn't nickel and dime him with hidden fees. so he can worry about other things, like what the market is doing and being ready, no matter what happens, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense, from td ameritrade. good morning, everyone. hope you're having a good morning. i'm don lemon. the stories we're watching in the newsroom, u.s. stock futures are up as team rubicon rings the

bell at the new york stock exchange. big question is how investors will react to dropping oil prices. possible movement to avoid the fiscal cliff, house republicans meeting right now on capitol hill and house speaker john boehner expected to speak in about 30 minutes, we're going to bring that to you live when it happens here on cnn. an oregon mall is stut down in t shut down in the middle of holiday shopping by a gunman on a killing spree. three people are dead and a fourth person is gravely wounded, including the gunman. police believe the gunman was in his early 20s. this shopping mall was bustling with 10,000 people when a mass gunman opened fire. witnesses say he fired at random, killing two people, leaving a third victim "fighting for her life." shoppers say at least 20 rifle blasts echoed through the mall and sent them running for cover.

>> i was inside planning for a job and next thing i know i see a few people running into sears and away from the middle of the mall saying that they heard shots and there's a shooting going on, wasn't sure if it was for real at first until i had seen the reactions on their face that they were serious. >> the mall is supposed to be a place that we can all take our families, feel comfortable that this is a great place especially at the holiday season like this, and these things aren't supposed to happen. >> they certainly are not supposed to happen. let's talk more about this with christie wellday on the phone. she and her friend had stopped in the mall for a bite to eat. christie, good morning to you, as good of a morning as it can be for you, having witnessed this and been there when it happened. so tell us what you were doing with your friend, what you saw. >> we just stopped in to have a late lunch and actually we were just finishing up and had just

got up from our table when we heard the first shot which sounded like maybe a table or something dropped to the ground and i heard it two more times and i'm looking around for it and it was just a constant bang, bang, bang, bang, and i knew that something was wrong and me and my girlfriend just kind of froze up and she started screaming like "are you kidding me? are you kidding me?" i grabbed her by her coat and told her to get out and we took off running for the book door. it's been very bothersome. i haven't been able to sleep all night. it plays over and over in your head, you know? >> yes. i can only imagine, my next question was how are you doing, that's partially how you're doing. there are people walking through the mall with their hands up. as i understand from what i've been reading about this, the

officials who were in the mall were telling people to get out and to run for cover. why are you holding up your hands? were you instructed to hold up your hands? >> no, i didn't do that. i had already gotten out by the time we heard several shots, we probably heard about 15, 20 shots. we were already at the back door getting out, and so i don't know anything about putting your hands up. we were in the parking lot and it was the parking lot was even still pretty empty at that time and the few people that came out were obviously everybody that came out around the cars because i made my friend run all the way to the car because people were shopping as soon as they got out the door's and for one they were blocking the doors and if he would have come that way all of the people in that area could have been shot so i just once we got out of the door i kept yelling at her to keep running all the way to the car, i yelled

it three times "keep going all the way to the car" because she kind of freaked out. once we got to the car i felt a little bit safer but i just wanted to leave the mall and then there were a few, a teenaged boy just crying so we just wanted to check on, a few people, there was a family there with a baby in a stroller, and people that were coming into the mall, and that were getting ready to park and we're just telling people that there's a shooting, you don't want to go in there and stuff like that. so it was just a lot that happened so fast, and it felt like it took forever for the police to come, which i know it wasn't, they got there fast but when you're in that moment it felt like forever. i kept hearing sirens but didn't see anybody. >> yes, those minutes or seconds felt like hours sometimes when you're waiting. >> exactly. >> i can only imagine if you've ever been involved in anything like this. i have a whole lot of questions. bear with me if you will.

it's tough to relive this. did you ever see the gunman? >> did i see this guy? >> yes. >> no, i did not see him. >> you only heard it, right? >> yes. yes. >> and your friend, how is your friend doing? >> i stayed there until almost 11:30 last night, she's very shook up. she's not dealing with it as well. i feel like i'm dealing with it okay but yet i know i'm not because i obviously couldn't sleep last night and it's playing over and over in my head but she's i think it affected her a lot worse. >> you said that you were helping people in the parking lot and children, so you didn't leave. you stayed to help. did a lot of people stay to help? >> we only stayed there for a few minutes. >> were people just getting out of there or were there some people staying to make sure that everyone was okay or were people just like i'm going to get the heck out of here. >> like i said i don't know my

girlfriend was very concerned at that point about everybody that was in there, so if she wanted to stay, i told her there's nothing we can do and we saw the police started pulling in, i told her it's time to go. we have called home and told our families, our kids that we were okay and they started crying and just told us to get home, get out of there, so then at that point when she heard it from her kids, too, she was ready to go. so we were only in the parking lot a few minutes just like i said, the people that came out crying and everything, it just happened really fast and we just asked if everybody was okay. and they still hadn't gotten it at that point, so i just wanted to leave the area. >> so your friend has kids. do you have kids? >> yes, i have two, two girls, 13 and 16. >> it's a holiday season and

you're there buying gifts to be with your family and probably for your girls. what do you say to people? life is so fragile. >> you have to take it day by day and you know, live, love, lau laugh. as soon as i saw my kids, i just hugged them, and my husband, so you know, life is too short. you have to try to enjoy every moment. >> yes. and be kind. christi, thank you very much, and please, give our regards to your friend, okay? >> all right, thank you. >> thank you. up next, we're going to talk to the clackamas county sheriff. we'll be right back. we understand. y f, at usaa, we know military life is different. we've been there. that's why every bit of financial advice we offer is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. [ laughs ]

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back to oregon now, police near portland say they have tentatively identified the man who opened fire on a shopping mall teeming with holiday

shoppers, the man described in his early 20s killing two people and seriously wounding a third. joining me is matt ellington the undersheriff for clackamas county. good morning to you. thank you for joining us. i know you're very busy right now. so far you're not releasing his name. why is that? >> well good morning, and you know, first of all i'd just like to say our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims of this horrible act, as well as the one surviving victim. you are correct, we have identified the suspect but we owe it to the victims to protect the integrity of this investigation, so at this point, it would be inappropriate for me to release the name of the suspect. however, i can tell you that about 10:00 a.m. west coast time we do plan on releasing the name of the suspect as well as the names of the victims. >> 10:00 a.m. west coast time, 10:00 a.m. pacific you'll release the names, right?

>> yes. >> any idea of a motive? >> you know, right now at this point in the investigation we do not have an idea on the motive, but what i can tell you is that the information we have at this point leads us to believe that there is no connection between the suspect and the victims. >> so you believe what you're saying and i don't want to put words in your mouth, you believe it was random. >> correct. >> random shooting. >> random in the sense the suspect did not know the victims. it's clear that his intent was to go to the town center and start firing. >> we see people running with their hands up, are they being instructed to run out of mall with their hands up for the safety around them and law enforcement? >> yes, i think that's probably a common sense thing, too, the

citizens this act of shooter training is something that we practice and do all the time. in fact we've done it earlier this year at that facility, at that mall to prepare for an event like this. >> okay. matt ellington is the undersheriff for clackamas county in oregon, where that horrific shooting happened, and he is telling us now that at 10:00 a.m. pacific coast time they will release the name of the victim -- of the victims and also the name of the shooter and he's also telling us that he believes that this was random at this point. any other information that you can give us now, mr. ellington, sheriff eric ellington, about this? >> i can tell you we did recover one rifle at the scene, we believe that rifle was the one that the suspect possessed. we had reports i'm sure that you've heard that the suspect was wearing a hockey mask, we did recover a mask similar to

that description, and we believe that the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. >> so you said he was wearing a mask. what else did you say he was wearing? >> i just confirmed he was wearing a mask and we did recover a rifle that we believe was the one that he used in this crime. >> all right, i thought you said there was something else that he was wearing during the time, so a mask and a rifle. what kind of rifle? >> right now, all i'm releasing is that it was a rifle. we can provide more details a little bit later, about 10:00 a.m. >> is that the only weapon he had? >> that is the only weapon we recovered. >> and rounds, do you have any information on that? was he carrying more and how many went off? do you know? >> i can tell you that there were multiple rounds fired. we found multiple shell casings at the scene. >> okay. do you know if this person is known to law enforcement without releasing his name, you can tell

us about him or if he's known to law enforcement? >> right now it would be inappropriate to talk about that so we can maintain the integrity of the investigation but i do anticipate being able to answer that question later this morning. >> thank you, undersheriff. we appreciate it. >> thank you so much. one rifle recovered, wearing a mask, they believe he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. 10:00 a.m. pacific time, they're going to release the names of the victims and also the name of the shooter believed to be in his 20s, again they found a rifle, multiple rounds, they said he shot off, and multiple shell casings found on the scene. make sure you stick with cnn, we'll bring all of it to you live. up next a quick check of your top stories.

checking top stories, police in portland, organizing, have

tentatively identified the gunman and recovered a rifle. the man described in his early 20s killed two people and seriously wounded a third. police say he killed himself, mall shoppers and employees scrambled for cover. >> i work at a kiosk below the food court. we heard about six shots and people scattered like crazy. we waited around for a second and people at the stores were opening doors for to us get in, ushering everybody in there. >> a suspect has been arrested in has been arrested in connection with pipe bombs found in oklahoma city. kevin wayne burke was involved with pipe bombs found attached to a truck on monday and another found in a yard yesterday afternoon. charges are pending in that case. hugo chavez's six-hour surgery in cuba was apparently a success. chavez announced saturday that his cancer had returned, but he never said what type of cancer

he has. and a retail group says return fraud costs the industry $9 billion a year. that's when thieves return stolen goods for cash, use counterfeit receipts or bring back an already used item. that's from 65% of surveyed firms. with the touch of an ipad, the pope made history today. he sent his first tweet ever. but some people are more interested in his twitter handle. art is what can't be proven mathematically, right? it's the part that makes you feel good but you don't know why. the way the object feels in your hands or looks, and if it's almost perfectly created, you can explain it to someone afterwards, but in the creation part, you can't. you can see how the glass is constantly moving. my job is to basically shape it

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the pope's first tweet ever has already been retweeted 33,000 times. i never thought i would say that, the pope's tweet. imagine that. and before he ever tweeted, he had more than 600,000 followers. here's the historic tweet, everyone. this is history. dear friends, i am pleased to get in touch with you through twitter. thank you for your generous response. i bless all of you from my heart. that was nice. joining us now from denver, john allen, senior vatican analyst. john, you know, i never thought i would be saying the pope is tweeting right now. here's what he's saying. we're going to have to read his responses on the air. we don't have to, but i'm sure we will, as we did that one. does 12/12/12 have anything to

do with it? >> today is the feast of our lady of gaudalupe which is a very important devotion to the virgin mary, especially in latin america. i think the vatican likes that inference. the 12/12/12 thing, an attempt to renew the apocalypse, i don't think so. their normal model is talk to me on tuesday and i'll get back to you in 300 years. so by that standard, this is actually rapid response. they've been wanting to do this for a while. today was just the day they were ready to launch. >> i wonder if we'll get any insight on his personality. like if he'll go, have a great happy easter, hash tag. >> if you think he's going to be walking around the palace with an ipad, saying, hey, had a great birthday bash last night, wish you were here, that's not the kind of thing i think you'll be getting from benedict xvith.

i think the vatican's calculation is that quite often people's impressions of the pope is not based on anything he's said but on what other people have said about him. and this is their effort to sort of help him break through that filter and speak directly to people around the world. >> it also shows you the power of twitter and helping to form a message and getting the word out. we're joking about it, but obviously it's something that the vatican and the pope are taking extremely seriously about, i don't know, helping the pope's reputation, maybe making him and catholicism or the roman catholic church more accessible and more in the mainstream now? >> yeah. i mean, look, benedict xvi highest priority for the catholic church is the new denomination, and that means relighting the fires in the church and particularly reaching

out to people who have become alien ated from it, maybe those who were baptized as catholics and aren't practicing it anymore. so you have to look at the big picture. if you look at the numbers, in terms of the number of followers the pope has accumulated quickly, that would be an encouraging sign for the vatican, although we should probably note he's still about 5 million followers behind the dalai llama. in terms of how many people come back to church, that remains to be seen. >> thank you, john allen. the newsroom begins after a short break. y at the chevy year-end event because chevy's giving more. more efficiency with sonic and cruze... more function in equinox and traverse... more dependability with the legendary silverado... and more style in the all-new malibu. chevy's giving more at the year-end event because 'tis the season. chevy's giving more.

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stories we're watching right now. holiday shopping ends in panic when a gunman opens fire inside a crowded shopping center in oregon, forcing hundreds to run for cover. we're getting new details about

the gunman. satellite or missile test? a defiant move from north korea as its rocket program takes another step forward. any moment now, house speaker john boehner expected to speak. a live look from capitol hill right now. this follows late night movement on fiscal cliff negotiations. we are standing by. it was supposed to be funny. a tennis player mocking superstar serena williams but many are calling it racist. did it go too far? t "the newsroom" starts right now. hello, everyone. i'm don lemon. happening right now, we'll get you live to washington in capitol hill. house speaker john boehner expected to speak right there from that podium at any moment. he had a call with the president last night after republicans sent a new proposal over to the white house to avoid the fiscal

cliff. the house speaker. let's listen. >> i feel fine, i just sound a little foggy, that's all. as of today, the president's plan to avert the fiscal cliff still does not meet the two standards that i laid out the day after the election. his plan does not fulfill his promise to bring a balanced approach to solving this problem. it's mainly tax hikes. and his plan does not begin to solve our debt crisis. it actually increases spending. our plan meets the standards, it cuts spending and paves the way for real job growth in our country. in the five weeks since we signalled our willingness to forge an agreement with the president, he's never put forth a plan that meets these standards. and, frankly, that's why we don't have an agreement today. the longer the white house slow walks this discussion, the

closer our economy gets to the fiscal cliff and the more american jobs are placed in jeopardy. >> good morning. the president has said on a daily basis that we should be passing a balanced plan. but what we hear from the president is continuing only discussion on one side of the ledger. it has always been about tax rates increases and nothing about spending. and we insist and say, look, mr. president, let's talk about a balanced plan, but where are your specifics on the spending cut? even his own advisers say that any kind of agreement that we come to has to deal with the prime drivers of our deficit, which is the spending, and particularly, the health care entitlement programs. so we ask the president to please sit down with us and be specific and let's get that balanced plan. you know, it's interesting that the senate has passed a bill that is a bill calling for

increased revenues of $850 billion. the president continues to say, support that bill, pass that bill. well, how is that the case when he continues to say we also need $1.4 trillion in additional new revenues? so there is an inconsistency here, and let's stop playing games. we want to be here for the american people, and we want to make sure that we get a balanced solution so that we can start focusing on the one thing that we seem to have forgotten, and that is it's about jobs and the economy. it's about getting people back to work, making sure their life works again and to finally get us back into the mode of a growing economy. the president seems to be walking us ever so slowly towards the cliff. we've said we're committed to staying here. we're going to stay here right up until christmas eve throughout the time and period before the new year, because we want to make sure that we

resolve this in an acceptable way for the american people. >> as the debate continues over the fiscal cliff, i'm reminded once again, you know, and i think it's important that we remember that washington doesn't have a revenue problem, it has a spending problem. and you look at the record debt that's been accumulated over the last four years, the projections are pretty startling over the next ten years as the trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see, a nearly doubling of our debt. you know, two years ago, we had a baby girl born, and at that time, her share of the national debt was $45,000. and on the current track, by the time she gets in high school, her share of the national debt will be $100,000. $100,000 per child in this country. america deserves better. our children deserve better. and that's why we're not just

after the quick fix. we're after a real fix. we want -- this is our moment to lay out that framework, to address tax reforms, to address the spending reforms that america -- >> and that is kathy mcmorris rogers, another republican ranking member. house speaker john boehner spoke first and it was very important. here's what he said. the president's plan does not fulfill what he calls a balanced approach to ending the fiscal cliff. tax hikes, increases, that's what he says this all amounts to for the president, increases in taxes, and he is not trying to reduce spending, and that's important to the republicans. he said for five weeks -- this is according to john boehner -- he's been reaching out to the president but the president has not given a serious proposal. then eric canter echoing those

sentiments as well. and if we do go over the fiscal cliff, many in the polls will blame republicans. so after the phone call last night, this is all about messaging, trying to stem the tide of people who believe the republicans are responsible for putting us over the fiscal cliff if that, indeed, does happen. this is about messaging, this is about posturing as well, getting the message across. our dana bash is standing by and she will update us on that as well, what the president said and what the republicans said behind the scenes. we're also following details of that deadly mall shooting in portland, oregon. panicked shoppers throw up their arms running out to police. they believe the weapon was used by a gunman in his early 20s. this morning three people are confirmed dead and a fourth victim is described as fighting for her life. police say the mass gunman killed himself as they close in, making the moeftive for the

killing spree unclear now. he seemingly chose his victims at random. the mall santa was among the people who heard the pop of rifle blasts. >> there wasn't too many kids in the mall at the time, so that was good. i heard two shots, and then after that, i heard about 15, 16 more shots and decided that that was gunshots, so i hit the floor. my crew that was working with me must have left. everybody left, and when i got up, there was nobody there but myself. >> you know, dan, every time i talk to you, it's so odd to hear santa talking like that, and it's so sad this holiday season to have this going on. you're outside the mall at the clackamas town center now live. we heard a little more from the sheriff about the rifle they found, and also they're going to release the name of the shooter and the victims. what are you hearing? >> reporter: that's right. we know that authorities did recover the rifle.

they're not describing the make and model, as it were, but from talking to witnesses, it sounds like it was a high-powered rifle. obviously he got off 20 rounds or so. as you said, there is going to be a news conference at 10:00 a.m. local time, three hours from now, where authorities are expected to release the name of the shooter as well as those who died in the shooting. what we can tell you is that as we've been reporting all along, this happened yesterday afternoon about 3:30 in the afternoon, the shooter entered the macy's store which is on the second floor. he then sprinted towards the food court. that's where the mall santa was taking pictures with little children. and we actually spoke to a macy's employee who was among the first people to actually see the shooter. take a look. >> i was like, oh, my gosh. at that point i was in such shock where i just kind of stood there, and as i stood there in shock, like time slowed down and

everything, everything just got slow. and after that, all i heard was, i am the shooter, and then shots rang out. five, six shots, and by that time i hit the floor and i just ran out and started telling everyone and anyone i saw, there is a shooting going on, don't go in there, pack your kids, your family and let's get out of here, you know. i don't know what could happen. it was scary. >> reporter: well, don, whenever a shooting like this occurs, one thing you want to know is what was the motive and who is this shooter? at this point, we don't have answers to those questions. perhaps the authorities will shed some light on that a bit later on today. back to you. >> absolutely. as a matter of fact, he said he would be able to do that at 10:00 a.m. pacific time. thank you, dan simon. we're going to get back now to washington where they're taking questions on that fiscal cliff. there is john boehner. listen. >> if you look at our budget, we had no new revenue in our budget. if you look at the president's budget, he had $1.6 trillion

worth of new revenue in his budget. we've been reasonable and responsible in our approach to this, and we're going to continue to do that. it's time for the president to do his part. >> after hanging up with the president, are you left hopeful that you can bridge the difference and get a deal? >> i was born with the glass half full. i remain the most optimistic person in this town, but we've got some serious differences. [ inaudible question ] >> the supplemental has been sent up to the hill. the relevant committees are doing their work on the supplemental, and when they're finished, we'll take a look at it. >> how do you think you went from cordial -- that's how you described the call yesterday at noon -- to deliberate -- i mean, let's just call it what it is. it sounds like it was pretty tense. >> it's two different calls. >> but how did you go from -- describe the process by which

you went from cordial to tense? what got you so annoyed? >> listen, there were some offers exchanged back and forth yesterday, and the president and i had a pretty frank conversation about just how far apart we are. thanks, everybody. >> that was john boehner taking questions about the talks, the phone calls he's been having with the president. dana bash asking the question. i thought it was important, too, the question asked before dana's. they said, are you more hopeful after the phone call? it's obvious from what he said he is not hopeful after that phone call, and it looks like we are back to square one. john boehner, eric cantor, other leading republican leaders are saying there is a no go here. the president has to put something else on the table. the president is saying that is a no go as well. we're at a standstill. it is a deadlock. and we'll be right back. they're about 10 times softer and may have surface pores where bacteria can grow and multiply. polident is specifically designed

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this coffee cup, for example, is computer animated. it's not real. geico's customer satisfaction is quite real though. this computer-animated coffee tastes dreadful. geico. 15 minutes could save you 15 % or more on car insurance. someone get me a latte will ya, please? okay, back to capitol hill now where our senior congressional correspondent dana bash joins us with more on what speaker boehner had to say and eric cantor. you don't even have to read the tea leaf here.

he said it. they haven't put anything on the table that they want. the president has been saying the same thing about the other side. we are at a deadlock here. >> we don't seem to be moving very fast very far, that's for sure. the speaker -- it was very interesting that he described at least the atmosphere or the tone of the conversation that he had with the president, and it was pretty clear that it was not good, this conversation that the two of them had late yesterday. very different from the way he described the conversation just the day before as cordial -- or two days before, i should say, as cordial and seemed to be much more productive. so that's what he said in public. we're told from house republicans coming out of this meeting he just had with the entire house republican caucus that he expressed the same thing privately, that he is very frustrated. he says that the president simply is not giving not only on spending cuts but still, as he said, wants to have this deal, which includes $1.4 trillion in new revenue. that means the president came

down from 1.6 to 1.4. he came down a little bit, but certainly not enough as far as republicans are concerned. because the way republicans, and actually both sides, describe this, is it's almost like there are two dials. the more you dial revenue increases down, the more you have to dial spending cuts up to get to the overall debt reduction number that both sides really want to get to. but we don't seem to be very far right now on that, and the speaker told his people that they should not make plans for the holidays. >> yeah, i heard that, and i heard eric cantor say they'll stay there through christmas if they have to and through new year's. let's get this straight. we're hearing from the republicans now, and we'll hear from the president and democrats later, but this is all really to put some pressure on the president to give a little because republicans at the full show, if we do go over the fiscal cliff, most americans will blame republicans for it.

>> no question about it, and that's what we've been seeing over and over since one week ago today in this room, the president doing virtually the same thing. he did it on the house floor yesterday, he did it in a press conference friday. it is all about public pressure. we've seen since yesterday a shift in the message because they realize they have virtually no leverage on the tax rate issue, that they're shifting over, at least rhetorically, to the spending issue to make sure they really want spending to come down because they think that's something the american public agrees with as well, that washington simply spends too much. what we really need here is the two of them to come together and find that perfect balance in those dials we talked about. you know, we just have to hope that things calm down between the president and his speaker after what was clearly a very tense conversation last night, and that they can try to move forward. >> uh-huh. so american people, happy hanukkah, merry christmas, happy kwan

kwanza, whatever. this is what you'll be watching for your holiday. dana, you're the best. thank you very much. still ahead here on cnn, it was supposed to be funny. a tennis player mocking superstar serena williams. many are calling it racist. did it go too far? i get congest. but now, with zyrtec-d®, i have the proven allergy relief of zyrtec®, plus a powerful decongestant. zyrtec-d® lets me breath freer, so i can love the air. [ male announcer ] zyrtec-d®. behind the pharmacy counter. no prescription needed. and with my bankamericard cash rewards credit card, i love 'em even more. i earn 1% cash back everywhere, every time. 2% on groceries. 3% on gas. automatically. no hoops to jump through. that's 1% back on... [ toy robot sounds ] 2% on pumpkin pie. and apple. 3% back on 4 trips to the airport. it's as easy as... -[ man ] 1... -[ woman ] 2... [ woman ] 3. [ male announcer ] the bankamericard cash rewards card. apply online or at a bank of america near you.

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. this right here, this is the water cooler moment of the day and probably the week for some time now. some people accusing a women's pro tennis player of racism. caroline wozniacki in brazil stuffs her bra and her backside with towels, then she struts her stuff and later admitted this was an impersonation of her friend, serena williams. there you go. i want to make sure you see it. there is carlos diaz, though, from atlanta. so carlos, there is a lot of controversy over this. here's the thing. they're friends, right? why are people jumping to -- it very well could be racism, i don't know what's in her head. why do people automatically jump to that because a black woman is not the only person with big

boobs and a big butt, kim kardashian, j-lo, and they're not black. >> i don't want to judge the people who are judging this, but i will say that if your argument is she's making fun of african-american women in general, serena's own sister venus is not built that way. basically caroline wozniacki are having fun with her friend. had she and serena williams are friends, and after the match, she had no problem saying, yeah, i was doing an impersonation of serena. often we'll have male tennis players impersonate other male tennis players with their serve, how they act on the court, but nobody can serve a tennis ball at 100 miles an hour like serena. you do it this way, and in my honest opinion, i don't see it as being racist because you're

not making fun of an entire race, you're having fun with a friend, with one in particular person who happens to be an african-american. >> yeah, people -- that is the first thing people jump to which is just so odd to me. we're so touchy about that. and listen, the power in her leg, while she has that serve and she can run, that shows in her buttocks that she is very muscular and she has power in that, so that's not a bad thing, people. go ahead. >> and also, too, you look at serena's outfits in the past, she embraces the fact that she has a different kind of body than most tennis players do. we all remember the first time we saw that cat suit she wore in the u.s. open. the entire newsroom i was in stopped when she came out in that and that kind of thing. i was looking at her twitter page to see if she tweet ned an responses to this, which she has not, but her twitter page is her in tights and she's kind of sitting over a little, so she's

not shying away from the fact that she has a different body than other tennis players, and like you said, that power that she has helps her be the amazing tennis player that she is. >> the upper body and the lower body, and listen, i don't know what it is. maybe it was just in bad taste that people thought maybe serena wouldn't -- >> serena was in brazil -- this happened in brazil -- serena was in brazil and she did tweet out earlier, are there any brazilian bikinis to fit me? so she is making light of the fact she has a different body than other tennis players might have. it's one of those things where it's a very touchy subject to say, i'm looking like this, i'm looking like serena and she's an african-american, and you have people on line now jumping on the bandwagon and saying, that's being racist. >> it just sort of snowballs one after another and you believe it if it's tweeted or said enough. i am willing to bet there are thousands and thousands of women

every day who go into the cosmetic surgeon and he says what kind of a rear do you want, and they say serena. >> the words, but she's got a big butt have never been uttered by a man. it's always, and she's got a big butt. >> serena got it naturally. thank you very much. appreciate it, sir. the debate heats up over susan rice and her possible election for secretary of state. now people are bringing up her relation to african leaders. achieve anti-aging results so you look up to 12 years younger. see results in 28 days. guaranteed or your money back. olay pro-x. a regular guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem,

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let's check your top stories on cnn. john boehner says he's still hopeful a fiscal cliff deal will happen, but he and other top republicans today plan the husband's latest proposal. >> the longer the white house

slow walks this discussion, the closer our economy gets to the fiscal cliff and the more american jobs are placed in jeopardy. >> simultaneous tax hikes and spending cuts could happen at the start of the year if a deal isn't reached. nelson mandela is responding to treatment for a lung infection. that is according to statements from south african president zuma. he was rushed to the hospital over the weekend, 94 years old. hugo chavez's six-hour surgery was apparently a success. chavez announced saturday his cancer has returned but he has never said what type of cancer he has. near portland, oregon, police say this shopping mall was bustling with 10,000 people when a mass gunman believed to be in his 20s opened fire. witnesses say he fired at

random, killing two people and leaving a third victim, quote, fighting for her life. shotgun blasts he cechoed throu the mall and sent them running for cover. >> i was inside applying for a job, and the next thing i know i see people running into sears and away from the middle of the mall saying they heard shots and there is a shooting going on. i wasn't sure if it was for real at first until i seen the reactions on their faces that they were serious. >> the mall is supposed to be a place we can all take our families, feel comfortable that this is a great place, especially at the holiday season like this, and these things aren't supposed to happen. >> cnn's dan simon outside the mall now for us with the very latest. dan. >> hey, don. authorities say this is a random shooting. victims were not targeted. they are also saying that at one point the shooter's gun seemed to get stuck, which may account

for why he didn't have more victims. we can tell you that the two people who were shot and killed, they are both adults, one male and one female. we know that at 10:00 local time and a couple hours from now, authorities are expected to release the shooter's name as well as the victims' names. we can tell you this unfolded yesterday afternoon, 3:30 in the afternoon. 10,000 people in this mall. the shooter walks into the macy's store on the second floor. he sprints toward the food court and that's where the shots rang out, as you said, about 20 shots fired from the shooter's rifle. here's how one store employee described the scene. >> i work at a kiosk right in the middle of the mall right below the food court. we heard about six shots at first and people scattered like crazy, everyone left. we waited around for a second and people at the stores were opening the doors for us to get in. they were ushering everybody in

there. > >> reporter: the shooter is described as being in his early 20s. at this point we don't have any motive whatsoever. we can tell you the shopping mall will remain closed today. don, you may see some of the cars behind me. that's because when this happened, a lot of people just sprinted for the door. they left their belongings behind. there are a lot of car keys in the mall. we know at some point there will be an orderly process for people to come and claim their belongings. >> a rifle, multiple rounds and multiple shell casings found at that mall. >> reporter: yeah, that's exactly correct. right now we're in a bit of an information lag, as it were, so hopefully, you know, it's going to shed a lot more light on what happened. >> dan simon, we'll be reporting to you. dan, thank you very much. other news now, it is the award for actors by actors. the screen actors guild nominations are out. did your favorite star make the

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the so-called three a meeg owes of the senate aren't agreeing on whether susan rice is qualified to be secretary of state. mccain and lieberman spoke about it last night. mccain said she deserves a chance if she's ever nominated. >> i don't know if she's even nominated or not. she deserves the process that every nominee goes through. there are now additional concerns about her role as far as africa is concerned. but the fact is she not only gave wrong information, but she gave the party line that -- for example, that al qaeda is decimated. al qaeda is not decimated. >> so joining us now are cnn contributor and democratic

strategist lena cardona and ron barjean. is it me or does it appear that john mccain becomes more grumpy over time? he's like the neighbor, the guy when you put the ball in the neighbor's yard and he's like, hey, get out of my yard, kid. am i wrong with that? am i the only one who notices that, john? >> well, this is ron -- >> ron, i'm sorry. >> no, i think senator mccain makes some very good points about susan rice, and i think he's clearly frustrated about her comments that were made. i think he's frustrated about the fact she came to capitol hill and wasn't able to convince him nor lindsey graham or senator susan collins that she would be a good nominee to be secretary of state. so, you know, i think that's what you're hearing in his voice right now is a lot of frustration. >> i'm not only talking about this particular issue. we're going to get into the meat

of that, but i'm talking about other issues, fiscal cliff and on and on and on. it just appears that way. lena, you heard some people talking about civil leaders with atrocities. how do you think that will play into it? >> i think that will become a point of discussion, but what was said about her written role in africa, it's very nuanced and i think very biased. i think if she is nominated, and we have to remember she has not been nominated yet, then this need to be an issue where she's given a chance to actually discuss it. it needs to be discussed in a fair manner and an unbiased manner. africa, as we all know, has had a very complicated and tortured past where a lot of times when we have to choose allies, there are no good choices to make, and everybody who has been a leader in africa has had an unsavory

past in some way, shape or form. but it needs to be discussed in she's nominated. >> so ron -- sorry, again, for calling you john -- you said what senator john mccain was not satisfied about. what does susan rice have to do to prove herself to people like john mccain and lindsey graham. >> she's come across as a very aggressive and a partisan person who has been carrying water for the administration. i think she needs to be a very thoughtful person when she's going through these -- if she is nominated -- going through the confirmation hearings because it's going to be very dicey. this is becoming radioactive. she hasn't even been nominated and we're seeing all these problems and questions regarding it. now, in terms of senate democrats, if i were a senate democrat, i would be frustrated because one of their own, senator john kerry, is standing in the wings. and i don't think they want to

get into a battle over susan rice. i think they would much rather have john kerry because they know who he is. >> maria, same question. what does she have to do, then? >> here's the frustration. i'll say what she has to do, but here's the frustration with this whole discussion. the focus is so much on what she said or didn't say, whether she carried the party line or not. can we remember another secretary of state named rice who actually did carry the party line that took us into unnecessary war? so when republicans focus on that, i think it's a little bit hypocritica hypocritical. the second thing is, if we really want to focus on what happened in benghazi, attacking susan rice does not get to the heart of what happened in benghazi. she had nothing to do with what happened in benghazi. let's talk about the talking points if that's what they want to talk about. let's talk about the cia and whether there was a flap there with the talking points. focusing on susan rice does not get us on where we need to be on fixing the problems we have so that benghazi never occurs again. >> maria cardona and ron

bonjean. thank you very much. if the u.s. goes over the fiscal cliff, we'll feel it even at our airports. flights could change, and quite frankly, not in a good way. in. in fact, in a recent survey, 95% of people who tried it agreed that it relieved their headache fast. visit fastreliefchallenge.com today for a special trial offer. you know how painful heartburn can be. for fast, long lasting relief, use doctor recommended gaviscon®. only gaviscon® forms a protective barrier that helps block stomach acid from splashing up- relieving the pain quickly. try fast, long lasting gaviscon®.

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checking your top stories right now, eyewitnesses are sharing their stories after a gunman opens fire inside a crowded oregon mall, killing two people before apparently taking his own life. >> caller: it felt like it took forever for the police to come, but i know it wasn't, they got there fast, but it felt like forever because i kept hearing the sirens but didn't see anybody. >> that was christine who was inside the mall when the shooting began near portland yesterday. police have identified the shooter and plan on releasing that name in a few hours. we know that one rifle was recovered from inside the mall as well as a hockey type mask.

the iconic child abduction case is due in a courtroom today. rodriguez is expected to plead not guilty. etan patz was one of the first children to be featured on a milk carton. we learned more about the plane that crashed and may have killed jenni rivera. the company who owned the jet, star management, has been linked to two previous lawsuits. they lied about the history of the planes and the identity of the real owner. there are additional allegations of falsifying claim safety records. the company denies those claims. going over the fiscal cliff could put a crimp in your air travel plans after the new year. sandra endo joins us from reagan national right outside washington. good morning, sandra. what will happen in january for plane passengers if there is no budget dieal in washington?

>> reporter: that's one of the big unknowns at this point right now, don, how these potential cuts could affect air travel and travelers after the new year. the department of transportation could face nearly $2.2 billion in cuts and half of that would come from the faa. the tsa would also suffer $643 million in cuts, a large part of that coming from aviation security. now, we talked to a former faa administrator who says that the agency is not a smart place to cut because it's operational and it's a safety agency. but the current head of the tsa, john pistel, says they are making sure they have a plan in place should these cuts take effect, and they say the front line shall remain operational. don? >> all right. sandra endo, thank you very much. you know the popular reality show storage wars? if some of those seem too good to be true, maybe they are. a cast member is now claiming the show is staged.

oh, let me guess --ou see this? more washington gridlock. no, it's worse -- look, our taxes are about to go up. not the taxes on our dividends though, right? that's a big part of our retirement. oh, no, it's dividends, too. the rate on our dividends would more than double. but we depend on our dividends to help pay our bills. we worked hard to save. well, the president and congress have got to work together to stop this dividend tax hike. before it's too late.

the man who taught himself how to play the sitar has died. he won three grammies for his star performances. ♪ >> shankar was the estranged father of jazz singer nora jones. the screen actors guild or sag announced their nominations earlier this morning. nischelle turner up and at 'em. the early bird gets the nominations and all the information on the sag awards. nischelle, i want to get to the

nominations in a minute, but first, i want to ask about the reality show "storage wars." one of the actors says it's set up, it's fake. what's going on with that? >> yeah, we've had another allegation, don, it seems like, of a reality show not being so real. we're talking about the cast member dave hester, and imagine that. he is suing the show, actually, saying he was wrongly terminated after he accused the show of committing fraud. in the filings of this lawsuit, he says he complained to a and e that they were stuffing storage lockers with more valuable items than were originally in there in order to make the show seem more inviting or more enticing. he says after he complained, he was fired for doing so. now, we have reached out to a & e and all parts involved. we haven't heard back but we have seen the filing of this lawsuit, so it looks like the court will decide whether or not the show is real. >> oh, really. that might set a precedent about

other shows. >> it could. you know, i don't think that every show out there in reality tv land is 100% real. it seems like there may be some things that go on a time or two, if i may say so myself, but it could set a precedent if there's some legal decision handed down. >> i like this story. this is a real reality about reality tv. hey, let's talk about sag now. who came out on top, nischelle? >> yeah, a lot of our favorites were nominated this morning for the 19th screen actors gilda wards, but i wanted to give you the big daddy of them all, basically best picture, best motion picture for the sag awards. the nominees this year, "argo," "best exotic mayor gold hote"

le miserables," "lincoln," "silver linings playbook." james was nominated for a role in this movie but the movie itself not nominated. there were some omissions that stood out to us this morning. no walking phoenix, no anthony hopkins for hitchcock. on the television side, no julia louis-dreyfus, no helen dounham. but nicole kidman was nominated in both the movies and the television roles for her role in the tv movie "hemingway" and "gelhorn" and also for "paper boy." she was nominated for best

actress. mer i don't know if you saw "silver linings playbook." bradley cooper got a first time nomination for that movie, hue jackman for les miserables and d denzel washington for "flight." >> i haven't seen any of them. >> would you like a date for the movies? i'm going to catch you up, because you have a lot of work to do, young man. >> maybe my indication wasn't so subtle. can we go on a movie date, nischelle turner? >> i'll get you caught up this award season. by the way, if your favorite actor didn't get nominated, they have another opportunity tomorrow. because bright and early, once again, golden globe nominations,

and i will be there for that as well. >> you embarrass me. i'm blushing. thank you, nischelle. >> bye. a reminder to watch "showbiz tonight" at 11:00 eastern on hln. seem great at the time... but later... [ shirt ] merry christmas, everybody! not so much. ho ho ho! this isn't that kind of deal. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. save on ground shipping at fedex office.

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